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  Packing Hints and Tips 

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Updated 8th September 1998

The stress of packing, and the time it takes, and the cost of all the packing materials, and the hassle of loading and unloading, and of arranging insurance, and the cost of hiring a van and going to collect it and taking it back afterwards can seriously damage your health (particularly if you put your back out or drop something on your foot!) I, of course, have ignored this advice and so I know of what I speak. Now, assuming you've thought this all through and decided to do all or some of it yourself, here are the rest of the hints and tips!

Tips from the Professionals

Another useful site (as I said on the index page) is the Horne Storage Company, Inc. If you are moving to/from North Carolina (or nearby), contact Horne for an estimate. They are agents for United Van Lines who produce a set of information leaflets, including ones on "Moving House Plants", "Moving Pets", "Moving Appliances & Other Home Furnishings" and "Doing Your Own Packing". 

Packing Hints

• Mark each box with the name of the room it is going to go into and a brief description of contents (you'll appreciate this when you have to unpack!).
• Mark fragile boxes to give the movers a clue of which ones they really shouldn't drop kick into your new house.
• Consider buying a pack of coloured stickers and colour coding the boxes (but remember that your moving people could be colour blind!).
• Colour coding is especially good for any boxes that you will need to unpack first (e.g. children's toys, work clothes, kitchen supplies, bedding).
• Decide what you are going to need to unpack first and mark a sequence on the boxes. Do this for the boxes for each room.

How to pack different types of stuff (stuff is a technical term!)

• Don't pack too much into a box. It is better to have a lot of boxes that you can lift, than fewer boxes and a strained back.
• Don't pack too many books into a box. They are remarkably heavy for their size. I've seen suggestions that you should alternate books so that it goes pages/spine/pages/spine as you look into the box. I've no idea why you'd do that! (Well, actually I'd guess it is because most hardback books are slightly wider at the binding so they may get damaged if you put them all the same way around.) But the suggestion to individually wrap fragile books, valuable hardcovers and delicate dustjackets before placing them in the box sounds like a good idea! Consider boxing them in a sensible sequence for refilling your shelves (e.g. by type/size and alphabetical)
• Plates and Flat China - Begin with the larger items and put smaller items toward the top. Wrap each piece individually and use several pieces of newsprint. Next, wrap 3-5 individually wrapped plates together with a double layer of newsprint. Stand each bundle on its edge. Never lay them flat. Add additional layers of crumpled paper between bundles. To create a second level, add another 3-4 inches of crumpled paper. It may be helpful to add a cardboard divider between levels.
• Glassware and Crystal - Always wrap each piece individually. Never put one piece inside of another. Glassware and crystal should make up the very top layer of your carton and should be packed rim down. Especially fragile items should be packed in a separate carton and then packed in a larger carton surrounded by cushioning.
• Bowls - Wrap individually, then nest 2-3 together and wrap as an entire package. They can be placed on end or flat. Continue to add layers in the same manner as for plates and china.
• Glasses and Cups - Even though they can be fairly sturdy, it is still important that each is individually wrapped. Cups with handles should be cushioned with another layer of paper. Pack with the rims down. Cushion and layer as instructed above.
• Mirrors, Glass/Marble Table Tops, Pictures, Paintings, Etc. - The moving companies recommend purchasing special cartons for all but the smallest items in this category. Mirror and picture cartons can handle most situations. Only one article should be packed in each carton. Consider professional crating assistance for oversized or especially heavy items such as table tops.
• Clothing - Clothing can be left in sturdy dressers or packed in suitcases, if desired. Other foldable clothing should be packed in medium-sized cartons. Hanging clothing should be packed in wardrobe cartons. If wardrobe cartons are not used, clothes should be removed from the hangers and packed in lined cartons. Hats should be left in their boxes and repacked in moving cartons. If there is no hat box, a small carton can be used with the hat surrounded by crushed newsprint and loosely filled with the same.
• Food - Never pack perishable items, aerosol kitchen products or frozen food. Box dry foods in medium-sized cartons after taping any openings or tops closed. Jars should also be taped shut and wrapped as well as cushioned. Both cans and jars should be packed in the smaller cartons because of weight.
• Lamps - Remove shade, bulb and harp assembly. Double wrap the bulb and harp assembly. Wrap the base and cushion it in a dishpack or similar type box. For lampshades, select the carton size as close to the shade measurements as possible. Pack only one shade per container. Don't use crumbled newsprint inside or around the outside of the shade. Glass lampshades and chandeliers should be professionally packed in sturdy crates.
• Major Appliances - Many appliances require servicing, disconnecting and preparation. You may be able to perform most of the requirements yourself.
• Refrigerators: should be emptied of all food. Shelves should be either secured in place or detached and wrapped. The electric cord should be unplugged and taped to the back. If there is an icemaker, it should be disconnected from the water line and drained in advance.
• Washing Machines: should have all hoses disconnected and containerised. If you elect to place hoses in the tub or drum, be sure to wrap the metal couplings with cloth or paper to avoid damage to the tub's surface which could result from bouncing or vibration. The electric cord should be unplugged and taped to the back. The washer drum should be secured.
• Dryers: should have the vent hose removed and containerised. The electric cord should be taped to the back.
• Small Appliances - Clocks, radios and other smaller appliances should be individually wrapped and packed along with linens or towels or surrounded with crushed paper for protection.
• Tools - Any power tools containing gasoline or oil should be drained before moving. Long handled tools can be bundled. Hand tools should be wrapped and packed according to general packing rules.
• Draperies and Curtains - Wardrobe cartons are excellent for hanging curtains and drapes. If wardrobes aren't used, pack folded curtains and drapes in cartons that have been lined with clean newsprint.
• Bedding - Mattresses must be covered to protect them from soil and damage. Appropriate sized mattress boxes are recommended and are available from good packing suppliers.
• Flowers and Plants - Live plants and potted flowers will likely not survive a long distance move, and are generally not moved. Many movers will only take them on the condition that they are marked as "dead" on the inventory. If they survive, then it is a bonus. There are a number of sites on the web with information about moving house plants etc. Artificial flower arrangements should be carefully wrapped and packed in individual cartons. If possible, secure the arrangement to the bottom of the carton. Cushion and label appropriately.
• Electronics and Clocks - Original manufacturer's packaging with Styrofoam inserts provide the best protection for moving electronic goods. If these are not available, large or medium cartons should be used and the item well wrapped and cushioned. Larger home electronics such as consoles and large screen (projection-type) televisions should not be packed and will be moved as furniture. Grandfather clocks require special pre-move preparation. (as though you couldn't guess!)
• Computers should be taken apart and all leads etc. carefully labelled so you know where to connect them again. Most modern hard disks "auto park" the heads when power is removed. Older computers need a program to "park" the heads (which basically means to move the little read/write head inside the hard/fixed disk over a bit of the disk that doesn't have data on it so that it won't damage your data if it should bump against it)
• Warning! Hi-fi Nerd Alert! If you are taking a hi-fi / home cinema set up apart, ask yourself this question. Do I know enough to be able to put this together again (if it was installed for you, possibly not! If this is the case, you'll probably be hiring an installer to put it together again at your new house, so if you aren't moving too far, you can get them to take it apart here and put it together again there, for a reasonable fee. If you are moving far you may need to pay two different companies. In any case the speaker-wiring etc. may need to be different in each property so it is worthwhile getting it all set up properly again.) If you feel safe (or lucky) get a roll of sticky labels and mark up every lead and connection. Check that the colours of the leads is consistent through the connections (usually Red=Right and Black/White=Left for interconnect cable, Yellow for video signals,  and for speaker cable look for a stripe on one of the two wires (sometimes this is done by printing the name of the cable company along one of the two wires). This is usually connected to the Positive (+)/Red terminal on the speaker and the amplifier/receiver and the other wire is connected to the Negative (-)/Black terminal. Some wire is reputed to be "directional" so that you have to use it in the correct direction. For interconnects the arrow should point from the source unit (CD player, record deck, tape player) toward the amplifier. For speakers it should point from the amplifier to the speaker. For speaker cable like Cable Talk 3.1 where each of the two bits of wire is in opposite directions; try wiring it from the red/positive on the amp towards the red/positive on the speaker and back from the black/negative on the speaker to the black/negative on the amp. For bi-wire systems (two pairs of cable to each speaker, or special four-wire cable) note the connections you've got at the moment and label everything! For home cinema set-ups, again labelling everything to start with will make things much easier. Hi-fi Nerd Tip: your speaker cables should all be the same length, if you need to have a shorter run, bunch up the loose cable and stick a piece of string/rubber band around it. Don't coil it tightly since this can cause induction and thus distort the signal. Certain equipment (record decks in particular) may need to have transit screws replaced/tightened to prevent damage in transit. Remove the stylus and put it in a padded box (matchbox or similar) and tape that to some safe part of the deck. Use a wire twist or similar to restrain the arm. Remove the platter (being careful with the rubber belt if it is belt driven) and pad it safely to stop it coming loose and breaking the rest of the deck during the move. Remove all cassettes, CDs, laser discs etc. from their apparatus before securing them for transit. Before reassembling the equipment, it is a good time to give all the contacts and the ends of the leads a good clean with an appropriate cleaner (not Pledge/Mr.Sheen!).